 Redistribution of Income – It is levelling the distribution of wealth or income in a society through

a direct or indirect transfer of income from rich to poor.

 The government typically has the role of distributing income in a country.

Non-Financial Benefits of Working Financial Benefits of working
 Being Happy  Earning an income
 Meeting and mixing with new people  Being a consumer
 Increasing self-esteem and confidence  Having the ability to buy what you want and
 Developing natural strengths and talents need
 Creating and maintaining a good standard of
living

 Dorothy Hisgrove – “The traditional university pathway is not the only way to be successful.”
 Negative Impacts of Working from Home:
o Missing out on mentoring from senior employees and potential opportunities for
promotion
o Missing out on social benefits and learning to work collaboratively
 Positive Impacts of Working from Home:
o Flexible working hours
o Less travel
o Save Money
 Importance of building relationships in the workplace:
o Builds trust and teamwork
o Improves communication
o Increases job satisfaction
o Boosts productivity and collaboration
 o Reduces conflicts and misunderstandings
o Creates a positive work environment
o Encourages support and motivation
o Helps with networking and career growth
 Benefits of work:


 Trade Unions and governments have a significant impact on the nature of Australian
workplaces.
  An employee is someone who works for another person or entity in return for financial
compensation
 Contract work, also known as independent contracting or freelance work, involves hiring
individuals for specific projects or a predetermined time frame rather than for a permanent
position.

 Australian employers must provide:

o Safe workplace
o Adequate financial compensation for work completed
o Necessary and relevant education and training
o Essential rights (such as adequate breaks and supervision)
 FWC stands for the Fair Work Commission, Australia's national workplace relations tribunal and
registered organizations regulator. It plays a vital role in enforcing workplace laws, resolving
disputes, and setting minimum wages, as well as regulating registered organizations.
 The FWC includes setting:
o Min and Max wages in modern award
o Approving, varying, and terminating enterprise agreements
o Dealing with unfair dismissal
o Anti-bullying and general protection claims
 Trade unions, also known as labor unions, are organizations of workers who band together to
protect and improve their employment and working conditions.
 Industrial action can include strikes and work bans

Purpose of Trade Unions:

 Protect interests of members (e.g., higher pay)

 Improve working conditions (e.g., health and safety)
 Ensure fair treatment (e.g., prevent unfair dismissal)
 Promote better work–life balance (e.g., limit work hours)
 Represent members in negotiations with employers

Union Representatives Usually:

 Attend local union meetings
 Assisting members with work-related issues
 Organize meetings at work
 Communicate between members and management

 In October 2011, Qantas, facing a protracted industrial dispute with various unions, made a
radical decision to ground its entire fleet and lock out affected employees. This action, triggered
by escalating protected industrial action from pilots, engineers, and baggage handlers, aimed to
force a resolution to the ongoing labor negotiations.

 If support is not possible through trade unions or employees' associations, federal, state, and
local government agencies can also provide support
 They set and enforce employment standards, they regulate minimum wages, leave and
superannuation entitlements
 Paid work is defined as performing services for one hour or more per week in return for
receiving money and income


 People not regarded as part of the labor force are:
o Pensioners
o People with a physical or mental disability (JENAN) who are unable to work
o Full-time students who don’t work
o Full-time carers who look after children or other family members
 To be employed, you must be 15 years or over and have worked at least 1 hour in the week and
have received pay, profit, commission, or payment of some kind.
 Industry-wide awards, also known as modern awards, are legally binding documents that outline
the minimum terms and conditions of employment for workers in specific industries or
occupations. They build upon the National Employment Standards, setting additional
entitlements like pay rates, leave, and penalty rates.
 Voluntary work includes:
o Rural fire services
o Surf lifesavers
 o state emergency payment
 Wages are what an employee receives in exchange for their labor or services. If working
casually, a wage will be paid per hour, part-time or full-time, per week, fortnight, or month
 A salary is a fixed amount of money that an employee receives for their work, usually agreed
upon annually and paid in regular installments
 A commission is another form of payment for a job or service. However, commissions are mostly
percentages or cuts of a bigger sale and are an incentive for that sale.
 Profit, in business terms, is the financial gain a company makes after deducting all its expenses
from its revenue
 A dividend is a payment from a company to its investors. You can earn a dividend if you own
stock in a company that pays them. Dividends are often paid quarterly.
 An industry is a group of companies or businesses that engage in similar activities, producing
goods or services that cater to a specific market or need.
 The three main types of industries are primary, secondary, and tertiary
 Primary industry. This sector of a nation's economy includes agriculture, forestry, fishing,
mining, quarrying, and the extraction of minerals
 A secondary industry, also known as the manufacturing sector, involves transforming raw
materials into finished goods
 A tertiary industry, also known as the service sector, encompasses businesses that provide
services rather than manufacturing tangible goods,
 The tertiary industry is broken into the quaternary and quinary industry
 The quaternary industry is a sector of the economy focused on information-based or
knowledge-oriented products and services, encompassing activities like information technology,
research and development, and consulting.
 The quinary industry encompasses high-level decision-making and policy-making roles, often
within government, large corporations, and non-profit organizations.




 In Australia, the median hours worked in a week is 38 hours
 Work-life balance refers to achieving a healthy equilibrium between work and personal life,
managing responsibilities in a way that minimizes stress and promotes overall well-being
 Flexible working conditions are patterns of work that allow employees to balance work, life, and
family obligations more effectively
 Job security refers to the likelihood that an employee will continue to have their job, particularly
regarding the possibility of redundancy or layoff.


 The reasons for changing jobs include:
o Social Reasons – Response to life events, such as having children
o Economic Reasons – wanting to obtain better working arrangements
o Career-related reasons – Wanting further experience
o Workplace exclusion/ bullying
o Security
o Convenience
o Felling valued in a role
o Liking the people, they work with
o A faster commute
o The need to build superannuation
 Technology is transforming the nature of work by automating routine tasks, creating new high-
skilled jobs, and enabling remote work.
 Examples include the rise of remote work, increased use of AI self-checkout, and the automation
of repetitive tasks
 An employment contract is a legally binding agreement between an employer and an employee
that outlines the terms and conditions of the employment relationship.
 A contract does not have to be written; it can be a verbal ( or spoken) contract


 In Australia, a modern award is a legally binding document that sets out the minimum terms and
conditions of employment for workers in specific industries or occupations.
 Modern Award Include info on:
o Wages, including penalty and overtime rates
o Hours of work and rest breaks, including flexible work arrangements
o Allowance for uniform or tools
o Leave, including sick, holiday, long service, study, family, and maternity leave
o Superannuation
o Redundancy entitlements


 Penalty rates refer to higher pay for employees working weekends, public holidays, overtime, or
unusual hours like late-night or early-morning shifts.
 Allowances are extra payments given to workers who perform specific tasks, have certain skills,
use their own tools, or work in difficult conditions.
  Allowances are given to:
o Do certain tasks or have a particular skill
o Use their tools at work
o Work in unpleasant or dangerous conditions
 Common allowances include:
o Uniform or special clothing
o Tools and equipment
o Travel and fares
o Car and phone
o First-aid
o Leading hand/supervisor
o Industry of environment

An enterprise agreement is a negotiated agreement about pay and conditions made at a workplace
level between an employer and a group of employees or a union. It provides broader terms and
conditions than a modern award and can either replace or supplement it.

The key features of enterprise agreements are:

 They may cover rates of pay, overtime, hours of work, allowances, and leave.
 They must be in writing and approved by all parties.
 They must be approved by the Fair Work Commission (FWC), which ensures that:
o The agreement passes a "better off overall test" (BOOT) compared to the modern
award.
o It does not contain unlawful conditions.
o It has an expiry date.
o It outlines procedures for dispute resolution.
o It includes a flexibility clause for variations if required.


 A common law contract is an individual agreement between an employee and employer that is
not covered by an award or enterprise agreement. These contracts are typically used for
professional and managerial employees, offering greater flexibility but fewer protections.


 Rights and obligations of employees and employers include:

 The National Employment Standards (NES) are a set of minimum employment entitlements that
all employees in the national workplace relations system in Australia are entitled to.
 These include:

 An independent contractor, often called a contractor or subcontractor, is someone who

provides services to a business or individual under a contract rather than being a regular
employee.
